


The Book Of Life

by Tael_senpai



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, POV First Person, Slash, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-20
Updated: 2014-03-20
Packaged: 2018-01-16 09:13:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1341643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tael_senpai/pseuds/Tael_senpai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After seemingly endless years of being bullied because of his sexuality, Ryugazaki Rei decides to switch schools and start a new life far away from home at Iwatobi High School. There, underneath a whole bunch of other completely normal students, he hopes that his old life won’t catch up to him. But when that little ball of blond hair he just met stubbornly refuses to accept that he really doesn’t want to join the swim team, he can’t help but think back. Little does he know that some things just don’t remain in the past … Like love, for example.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Book Of Life

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is my first attempt at writing something in English. As it is not my first language, please excuse lesser grammatical errors (or point them out to me so I can learn). Please enjoy!

Prologue

I’ve never understood the theory of bullying. Why would people inflict emotional damage upon another person for nothing more than existing? There isn’t any logical reasoning behind it. But as everyone seems to be bullied at least once in his life, I chose to ignore it when it started in eighth grade. I thought that although it might take others longer than me to get it, sooner or later everyone would understand what it meant to bully another person. What completely unnecessary harm it would cost and how it ended up destroying lives former led with happiness. There is literally nothing crueler than letting a person believe that he or she is worthless or hated just because of what they are.

Even though I knew all that deep down in my heart, I was unable to cope with it. It got to me when I least expected it to hurt and there was not anything that I could do to make it stop. I couldn’t find a way out, because there was no escape from it. I’ve read so much about people getting suicidal because of bullying and I always thought that they were crazy or cowards for letting their feelings carry over their brains, but after hearing the voices of my own classmates in my head when I was sleeping, keeping me up all night, rendering me unable to think or rest I finally understood how they must have felt. Empty. Guilty for no good reason. And sad. Always sad. I’ve never imagined that the day I was caught kissing my former and clearly male best friend in the changing room of our swim team would be the beginning of the end. But it was also a fascinating feeling, the sudden and nearly undetectable swing of happiness into despair. Within a few seconds, a handful of laughter and the light of a camera, my whole existence was brought down upon me and I could feel the metaphorical ceiling crash on me, burying my true identity under layers and layers of rumors and one stigma I would have to deal with for the rest of my worldly existence. Did you know that you can be liked and respected one day only to be treated like a monster on the other one? I was horrified when my friend put all of the fault on me, throwing false accusations in my face, but I eventually took them in. I am not proud to admit it, but I was in love and I foolishly assumed that being true to myself would help anything when it only made it worse. So, to cut my long and tiring speech down to its essential points, I have created my own way out of it. I moved far away from my old life, my family and all of my would-be friends. This is a new beginning, something I have wanted for a long time. As my parents insisted upon getting a therapy for me when I told them about my fear and worries, this text is for my therapist – or rather inspired by him. He will never read it, I will never show it to anyone, but on the other hand, listing my experiences with a new school could be an interesting way of keeping my life organized and reflecting over my doings. After all, Iwatobi High School is a new chapter in the book of Ryugazaki Rei that is yet to explore. Why shouldn’t I keep it that way by creating my story like a piece of writing? Now, let me tell you everything …


End file.
